John Collins has signed an offer sheet from the Atlanta Hawks worth $125 million for five years, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski:
Restricted free agent F John Collins has agreed to a five-year, $125M deal to stay with the Atlanta Hawks, @excelbasketball agents Sean Kennedy and Jeff Schwartz tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 4, 2021
This is great news for the Hawks, who bring back one of their key players on a long-term deal after he played an important part in the playoff run.
In his first four years in the league, Collins has risen into one of the finest young forwards. He has been instrumental in helping the Hawks turn into a serious contender in the East.
Collins actually declined a $90 million extension with the Hawks in December 2020. He was seeking a larger deal, believing that his play is worthy of a max contract. He averaged 17.6 points and 7.7 rebounds in the regular season. This is actually a dip from his career-highs in the previous year of 21.6 points and 10.1 rebounds.
This is not an indication of a decline in his play. To recall, the Hawks acquired two potent scorers in Bogdan Bogdanovic and Danilo Gallinari in the offseason. This forced Collins to step back in his offensive chores and take on a slightly different role.
Nevertheless, this fact added to the rumors that Collins was bound to leave the Hawks. Not only did he want to get paid, but he also wanted a bigger role. With this new deal, Collins will have a player option in the fifth year.
Despite receiving interest from numerous teams across the league, John Collins is here to stay with the Atlanta Hawks. Trae Young will also be happy to have his running mate back in 2021/22.
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